Sheet-feeding device



L. LEE.

SHEET FEEDING DEVICE. ARPLICATION FILED MAY 5, 192i.

15409012. Pa ented Mar- 7, 1922.

2 SHEETS-*SHEET I.

NVEETOB. -Q-LA L. LEE, 7 SHEET FEEDING DEVICE. v APPLICATION FILED MAY 5, 1921.

Patented Mar. 7; 1922.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

UNITED STATES LEIF LEE, OF YOTJ'NGSTOWN, OHIO.

SHEET-FEEDING DEVICE.

Application filed May 5, 1921.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, LEIF LEE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Youngstown, in the county of Mahoning and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Sheet-Feeding Devices, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to sheet-feeding devices, and particularly to the feeding of metallic sheets,

My invention has been designed for use in connection with the feeding of sheets to galvanizing tanks, but is not to be limited to that use and may be applied to any machine or apparatus Where the feeding of sheets is a necessary part of the operation.

An object of my invention is a device which will permit the feeding operation to be carried out economically and continuously.

A further-object of my invention is such a device which is easily handled and operated, and which is simple in construction.

A still further object of my invention is a device of the character described, which is rugged and compact and which will stand the wear and tear of such devices without substantial expenditure on up-keep.

My invention will be better understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with "the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof, and in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of a machine with my invention applied thereto Figure2 is a sectional elevation on line II-II of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional elevation on line III-III of Figure 2; and

Figure 1 is a detail of the holding means.

According to Figure 1, an ordinarv gal.- vanizing arrangement A is shown with my sheet-feeding device B coo aerating therewith. The galvanizing macine may be of any. desired construction, and comprises a base 1 which supports a tank 2. The sheets are fed into the tank 2 through pinch rolls 3 and guides 1. The apparatus is provided with guide rolls 5 and 6, and a pair of rolls 7 is provided for assisting in the removal of the sheets from the tank 2, the sheets passing out over guides 8. The construction so far described,vper se, forms no part of my in vention, and therefore may be modified or changed at will. The structure A has not been described in great detail as I do not Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. *7, 1922.

Serial No. 467,121.

deem it necessary to lengthen the description by including therein such detail matter, which, as above stated, is not per se a part of my invention,

The sheet-feeding device comprises a base 9 havingan upstanding bearing portion 10, on the top of which is provided a raceway 11 for the rollers 12 of a roller bearing. A corresponding raceway 13 is carried by the turntable 14-, which is placed over the hearingportion 10. The table ll has a dependingflange 15 which surrounds the portion 10. Anintervening tubular member 16 is placed between the members 10 and 15 for anti-friction purposes. The member 16 is closely fitted in the member 15, and rotates therewith. The member 16 fits over the member 10 rather snugly, but sufficient clearance is provided for a free and easy rotation of the table 14 around the portion 10. v

The table 1 1 is provided with channel iron beams 17, which are bolted thereto by the bolts 18, as shown in Figure 3. The beams 17 carry at their outer ends wooden beams 19 and intermediate beams 20 which are laid across the beams 17. Mounted upon the beams 19 and 20 are floor members 21 which. run parallel to the beams 17. The members 21 carry the floor lining 22 of a tank having sides 23 and ends 2 1. Tanks for this purpose are usually lined with some acid-restraining material, such as lead, in order to withstand the action of acid which is placed upon the sheets to be galvanized, as is well understood in the art. The table 1 1 carries two tanks, shown in plan in Figure 1. These tanks are designated as C and D and may be identical in construction and size, and preferably should be identical.

Attached to the tank structure are two holding devices, shown in rgletail in Figure 47-. Each of these devices comprises a rod 25 carried in two guides 26 fastened onto the tank. The rod 25 carries a collar 27 which is fastened thereto by a pin 28 and has a projection 29 which may be moved to engage a part of the tank structure to hold the parts in the position shown in Figure i. A C0111- pression spring 30 is placed between the collar 27 and the upper guide 26 and around the rod 25. The rod 25 at its upper end is bent over at 31 for a purpose which will appear later. The lower end of the rod 25 is arranged so as to enter a socket 32 set in the floor or any other suitable position.

In operation, with the parts as shown in Figure l, the sheets would be fed out of the.

ing filled from any suitable supply conveniently arranged alongside of the tank. This operation proceeds until thetank C is empty, whereupon the holding means will be raised by taking hold of the part 31, and the rod removed from the socket and rotated until the projection 99 engages the to of the beam 21, as shown in Figure 4c. This puts the spring 30 under compression, and the' parts are held in that position until further disturbed.

After the holding means 25 is removed from the socket 32, the tanks are rotated on the bearing 12 so that the tank D is inter changed in position with the tank C, that is to say, the loaded tank is placed in theposition of the empty tank, and the empty tank C in the former position of the loaded tank D, whereupon the sheets :are fed into the machine A from the tank D while the tank C is being loaded. Upon the rotation of the tanks tothe desired position, the holding device 25 is raised slightly and rotated so as to permit the spring 30 to push the rod 25 into the socket 32, thus holding the tanks in position during the loading of the tank C and the unloading of the tank .D.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that my invention has many advantages: it is simple in construction and easy of operation; one side may be loaded while the other is being unloaded; the operator who removes the sheets from the tanks always removes them from the same place, thus givinghim an opportunity to acquire more skill in re moving the sheets right-handedly and continuously, instead of right-handedly for one tank and left-handedly for the oth.er,as would be the case" if the tanks were moved laterally with respect to the machine A; there is practically nothing to get out of order or to break, so that the upkeep of the machine is practically nil; other advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

While I have described my invention in great detail and as applied to a particular machine, I desire it to be understood that many slight changes may be made and many other uses of the invention maybe found,

without departing from thespirit of my invention. 7

"While I have shown only two machines in Figure 1, it is to be understood that any numberof machines may be used,as desired.

' I claim: I p

1. A device for holding sheets for a treatin tank, comprising two adjacent mechanica .ly connected compartments for holding the sheets, one of which is in loading position whenthe other is in feeding position,

and means for moving said compartments to interchanged positions when the feeding compartment is empty, substantially as described. A

I 2. A device for holding sheets for a treat-1 mg tank, comprising two connected compartment is empty, substantially as described.

3. A devicefor holding sheets for a treating tank, comprising a plurality of tanks, one of which is in feeding positionwhile another of said tanks is in loading position, and rotary means supporting said tanks at the resulant center of gravity of said tanks, Whereby when a feeding tank is empty a loading tank-may be moved to feeding position and an empty tank to loading position by rotating said tanks around said support, substan tially as described. 7

4. A device for holding metal sheets for galvanizing apparatus, comprising two mechanically connected compartments,one of which is in loading position when the other is in feeding position, a pedestahmeans at the resultant center of gravity of said tanks resting on said pedestal whereby the said compartments may be interchanged in position by rotating the said compartments around said pedestal, substantially as described.

5. A device for holding sheets for a treating tank, comprising two parallel adjacent tanks mechanically connected together, a

pedestal, a depending tubular flange attached to said tanks and fitting around said pedestal, and a roller bearing between the bottom of said tanksand the' top of said pedestal whereby said tanks may be rotated tal, a plurality of tanks for holding sheets,

a frame structure supporting said tank s, a depending tubular flange on said framework surrounding said pedestal, antifriction means between said pedestal and'flange, and a roller bearing on top of said pedestal and upon which said framework rests, substantially as described.

LEIF'LEE,

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand. I 

